I’ve always flown the tubes and love PMDG’s and Fenix’s efforts for MSFS. I’ve also always enjoyed the PilotEdge service, but having seen the praise for A2A’s release, I thought it was time to go back-to-basics and try some VFR flying. I say basics but flying VFR in the SoCal area is completely foreign to me and it’s been a fun learning curve over the last week. 

What an incredible experience it has been! The aircraft is an absolute delight and combined with the MSFS scenery and PilotEdge service, it has been one of my most enjoyable weeks using MSFS.

PilotEdge have a training programme (or, program when you’re in that part of the world) called the CAT ratings where they gradually introduce you to different types of airspace and procedures. I’m making my way through them and there is a genuine sense of achievement when each rating is granted.

It’s completely changed how I plan to use MSFS and I’m very much enjoying the scenery from a much lower altitude. 

Disclaimer: you do end up paying for PilotEdge, but there is a 30-day trial to see if it’s for you. The service also appears to be used by flight training schools in the area, so it is taken seriously and the controllers aren’t messing around. That said, if you’re in doubt about anything, just ask them and have confidence on the radios rather than just disconnecting from the network.

I wouldn’t normally create a thread on this forum with this sort of praise and waffle - truth be told, I’m usually just asking for help (sorry) - but aside from the likes of PMDG, Fenix and FSiPanel, I’ve not really found something as incredible as this combination. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mike

9 minutes ago, mikethe6th said:

The service also appears to be used by flight training schools in the area, so it is taken seriously and the controllers aren’t messing around.

Do you have more info on that? Do they give discount if someone has student pilot certificate?

8 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

Do you have more info on that? Do they give discount if someone has student pilot certificate?

I don’t I’m afraid. I’m not affiliated with them at all… but I’ve seen various flight schools from that area logged into the service. One at Van Nuys rings a bell.

If you’re training in that area IRL, I’d highly highly recommend it. 

Edited August 17, 20232 yr by mikethe6th

5 minutes ago, mikethe6th said:

I don’t I’m afraid. I’m not affiliated with them at all… but I’ve seen various flight schools from that area logged into the service. One at Van Nuys rings a bell.

If you’re training in that area IRL, I’d highly highly recommend it. 

I'm an independent flight instructor. and I'm just curious if = some of my students who have MSFS could practice ATC with pilot edge. Most students struggle with communication especially in very congested airspace of SoCal with three bravo airspaces . So any training aid in this regard would  be welcomed !

12 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

I'm an independent flight instructor. and I'm just curious if = some of my students who have MSFS could practice ATC with pilot edge. Most students struggle with communication especially in very congested airspace of SoCal with three bravo airspaces . So any training aid in this regard would  be welcomed !

I can imagine. IRL, I flew out of an airfield which enters Heathrow’s airspace, but we don’t have the same flexibility you experience in your part of the world, so it’s fairly straight forward. Just head west basically and don’t come anywhere near EGLL. 

The PilotEdge lot are extremely good/keen to let you know if you’ve busted airspace restrictions. It’s quite interesting hearing the difference in where people’s levels are on the network. Some as basic as asking for flight following and then switching to departure freq instead of tower, and others screwing up a TEC route. I’ve never flown privately in that area so I’m not qualified to quantify how close to the real world it is, but I truly believe it could be a great asset to your students and would urge you to try it for yourself. I even said to my partner the other night that I wish this service existed in the UK while I was training. 

If you do try it, I’d love to know your thoughts and if it’s as deserving of the praise I’m showing. 

 

53 minutes ago, mikethe6th said:

 

What an incredible experience it has been! The aircraft is an absolute delight and combined with the MSFS scenery and PilotEdge service, it has been one of my most enjoyable weeks using MSFS.

 

Flying VFR without GPS on PE (and irl socal) is far more difficult than flying IFR.

I helped beta test Pilot Edge - Keith has done a truly wonderful job with the service.  So much that the DOD uses it to train their T6/T38 pilots.

27 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

I'm an independent flight instructor. and I'm just curious if = some of my students who have MSFS could practice ATC with pilot edge. Most students struggle with communication especially in very congested airspace of SoCal with three bravo airspaces . So any training aid in this regard would  be welcomed !

I would highly highly recommend your students grab their sim of choice and hook up to PE for just radio confidence.  I've worked a LOT of pilots as a controller and some are very great pilots but a few are soooo poor on the radio (I'm not even referring to students here!)

People often say PE isn't for them because it's such a small area....  maybe true for a flightsimmer with no real world experience.  But for practice with real life flying it's a godsend.  The socal airspace as you know allows for many different types of practice on the radio - it totally applies to anywhere in the rest of the US!  Maybe not outside due to phraseology differences but still not awful.

4 minutes ago, ryanbatc said:

Flying VFR without GPS on PE (and irl socal) is far more difficult than flying IFR.

 

This is so true Ryan. Back in private years I used file IFR to fly anywhere in LA basin because it was so much easier to get in and out

58 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

I'm an independent flight instructor. and I'm just curious if = some of my students who have MSFS could practice ATC with pilot edge. Most students struggle with communication especially in very congested airspace of SoCal with three bravo airspaces . So any training aid in this regard would  be welcomed !

I flew on the network for about 2 years so have quite a lot of experience.  I'm from the UK and am not a real world pilot, here are my key takeaways from my time on the network

1.  Don't use PE for comms training if you are going for your PPL or you want to brush up your comms if you fly in the UK.  Why?  The airspace is different and the procedures in some cases are different as well.

2.  If  like me you wanted to take realism up a notch and experience always on top down ATC coverage in Socal and the WHOLE of the Western United states, this is the place to be!  Unlike Vatsim which is great, but all the ATC are volunteers and disappear at a moments notice.  The controllers on PE are actually paid and some of them even stream on Twitch.

3.  There are 2 subscriptions, one allows you to get ATC coverage in Socal which is huge in itself, the other is the WUS expansion (Western US) which provides ATC coverage from the PNW, across the Denver and as far south as San Diego.  Perfect for those who enjoy Tubeliners. Pricing & Plans - PilotEdge.net

4.  Make sure you do your research and use the online tutorials to great effect before joining the network.  You can't just rock up and wing it, you will get found out and look a bit silly.

5.  Participate in the CAT ratings, these are scripted tutorials which allows you to understand basic, intermediate and advanced VFR flight rules in the US. VFR Communications and Airspace Training (CAT) Program - PilotEdge.net

6.  When ready, participate in the I Ratings which are scripted tutorials to take you through basic, intermediate and advanced IFR flights in the US. I-Ratings - PilotEdge.net

7.  Is it worthy of the monthly fee, absolutely!!!  30 day free trial for those who want to try it out.  So much so I've even been thinking of subscribing again now I have the Comanche too, the high fidelity with the gorgeous MSFS world is very tempting!

8.  Keith (the founder) has a lot of tutorials online which are hours long and I learned and enjoyed watching his videos a lot, it taught me so much about aviation.  Things like airspace, procedures, how to read sectionals for true VFR flight in busy congested IFR airspace. Pilot Training Workshops - PilotEdge.net

9.  The operational hours are based on Pacific time which from the UK worked well for me, why?  Well it translated to roughly 5pm - 1/2am in the morning GMT.  I work during the day so the service was always up in the evenings and into the early hours but wasn't available on weekends until early evening.

10.  The controllers might seem harsh, if they tell you off take it on the chin.  They are simulating real world procedures and much like the real world you will get called out.  Take this as a learning opportunity, you will often hear guys mess up on the radio but thats the point this is a highly advanced training simulation.  Every single session is recorded well, so if you flew for 2 hours one night you can listen back that portion of ATC comms and listen to yourself on the radio - this is a fantastic learning tool because it allows you to really listen to what you say, how you said it and build in future improvements if necessary.  My confidence levels on the radios after a prolonged period of time were very good for someone with zero real world experience.

Honestly couldn't praise it enough, if you want to take your flight simming to the next level in my opinion there is no substitute.

 

Edited August 17, 20232 yr by sidfadc

11 minutes ago, sidfadc said:

 

Honestly couldn't praise it enough, if you want to take your flight simming to the next level in my opinion there is no substitute.

 

Great writeup!  You mentioned the part about recordings - totally forgot about that nice training tool!

9 hours ago, sd_flyer said:

I'm an independent flight instructor. and I'm just curious if = some of my students who have MSFS could practice ATC with pilot edge. Most students struggle with communication especially in very congested airspace of SoCal with three bravo airspaces . So any training aid in this regard would  be welcomed !

I used PE extensively in my own instrument training. It was invaluable…no exaggeration, I feel like it saved me at least $2000. 
 

I recommend it to any of my students that also had a flight sim. Sadly I think only one of my instrument students took my advice, but I could tell a huge difference in the rate at which he picked up concepts. 

11 hours ago, sidfadc said:

The operational hours are based on Pacific time which from the UK worked well for me, why?  Well it translated to roughly 5pm - 1/2am in the morning GMT.  I work during the day so the service was always up in the evenings and into the early hours but wasn't available on weekends until early evening.

I'm in the UK and an afternoon flyer; I just wish PE could cover all the continental US, with hours to match, then it would be more use to me personally.

I used PilotEdge a couple of years ago. It's a bit pricey for those like me who aren't actually doing any real-world flight training, but the experience was absolutely fantastic and simultaneously the most fun / nerve-racking experience I've had in MSFS.

I completed the CAT ratings, and intended to do the IFR ratings after that, but never got around to it. I do plan to pick it up again at some point.

A few other recommendations:

• SoCal may be relatively small, but there are soo many places to visit. I highlight recommend you download some of @vbazillio's excellent SoCal airport sceneries (https://flightsim.to/profile/vbazillio). They give lots of great inspiration for local flying routes.
   
• If you want to learn more about flying in and around the SoCal area, I highly recommend SoCal Flying Monkey's YouTube channel. He's a private pilot based in LA, and creates some great videos showing both procedures as well as the lighter side of flying in and around California.
   
• I always go on about this, but once per year PilotEdge organises SimVenture — the online counterpart to EAA's AirVenture/Oshkosh. They have some of the real ATC controllers from the event working the online event (with excellent scenery to boot), and a bunch of traffic doing the Fisk arrival with you. It's fantastic. I did it a couple of years ago — sadly the last two years have overlapped with my summer vacation.

 

Edited August 18, 20232 yr by Redge